May 2, 1903. 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
391 
nr* A T\1T*YJ C' P rWiDrT'IT'ir^VI For <5e‘ ai, s of ‘his competition and prize offered, please 
|l r LI iLlvCj VviyirL 111 AV/.TNi see page 385. Please post on Friday night. 
Setting Muscats. 
As I Li five always been very successful in getting my Muscats 
.) set well, I thought that I ooulcl not do better than let the 
aders of “ G.W.” know how I brought this about. The flower- 
lfr period and that of the setting of the fruit are anxious times 
)°most cultivators of the Vine, for imperfectly set bunches 
rp, an eyesore all the season. 
My first, advice is not to start to force Muscats too early in 
le season if it can possibly be avoided. If I had the option 
f choosing a date, I would wait till February was in. My 
bject is to wait till the sun has got some power, for sunshine 
; indispensable ; it is the line bracing air when supplemented 
y sun heat which induces the dispersion of the pollen and 
Sects the setting of the berries. I believe in giving the inside 
order a good watering before the flowering period, so that no 
lore will be required till the fruit is set, for a dry atmosphere 
i a necessity at this stage. I generally aim at a night tem- 
orature of 70 degrees, and 80 degrees by day, with a rise of 
few degrees more with sun-lieat- I believe in allowing the 
iterals to grow and not to be pinched back while the Tines 
re passing through this critical and all-important stage, so 
s not to give them a check in any way. I also leave all the 
unches till I find out which set the most regularly. I have 
o r found that the superfluous hunches weakened the Vines 
■erceptibly for the short time they carried them, but that they 
cted beneficially by the extra pollen which they diffused 
lirough the house. If artificial means becomes necessary when 
unshine is wanting, I believe no better plan can be adopted 
han drawing the bunch gently through the hand, but the 
apping of the rods should not be neglected, and preferably in 
be forenoon. D. Rhind. 
CHanthus. 
Though this genus cannot boast of many members, yet the 
wo species it contains are among the most showy of our green- 
ouse plants. Various epithets have been applied to Clianthus 
lampieri, such as Desert Pea and Glory Pea, and truly it 
(serves the latter name, for the bright crimson flowers have a 
lack blotch in the centre, giving it a striking appearance. 
Unfortunately it is a fastidious subject to deal with in a 
cung state, the seedlings having a provoking habit of damp- 
ng off so easily, but this can be obviated by grafting on to 
lolutea aborescens, the Bladder Senna, a strong-growing, 
tardy shrub of the Pea family, producing racemes of yellow 
owers in summer and the characteristic inflated pods in the 
utumn. The operation is a very delicate one, requiring great 
are for its execution, as it is performed in the seedling stage 
itlier in autumn or early in spring. ’Sow the Colutea seed 
bout three weeks in advance of the Clianthus so as they become 
airly strong, potting up into 60’s as required. Then sow 
he Clianthus, and when the latter has made a true leaf besides 
he cotyledons the grafting can be done. Place the finger of 
lie left hand at the hack of the stock, and with a sharp knife 
la the right make a downward cut between the seed leaves half 
|/ay through the stem. Then cut off the Clianthus near the 
ase, and make the stem (hypocotyl) wedge shape, fit the two 
pgether, and bind gently but firmly, so that the scion cannot 
aove, using a thin piece of bast which has been moistened 
reviously. When finished place in a propagating frame, with 
slight bottom heat. After some weeks, when growth com¬ 
mences, they can gradually be inured to more light and air. 
keep near the glass in a temperature of 60 degrees, growth 
eeomes more sturdy, and a move is required. The large 48 
! a suitable size, using a compost of filbrous loam, peat, or leaf 
lould and sand. 
Cart has to be taken in turning them out of the pots, as they 
eon show objections to rough treatment. Water must be 
pplied very carefully at all times. The next move should be 
I tto 8-inch pots or a wire basket ; where convenient the basket 
ulture is the preferable method, water drains away quickly, 
; ml the air has full play, seeming to benefit them' greatly. 
I hey also appear to good advantage in a hanging basket; the 
, toots become pendulous, and continue flowering as they grow, 
biting the summer weak liquid manure is of great help to them 
hen flowering lavishly. Towards autumn less water is re¬ 
tired ; if kept fairly dry through the winter in a temperature 
i E 50 degrees to 55 degrees, they pass through safely. The 
second year large specimens are formed, which often commence 
flowering in April and continue all the summer. 
Clianthus puniccus (Parrot’s Beak) is a woody climber, and 
does not possess the fastidious habits of its relative. It is a 
truly gorgeous subject when in full bloom as at present, flower¬ 
ing regularly and freely every year. The flowers are terminal 
and axillary in dense racemes of 6 to 12 in number, of a 
crimson colour, but without the black eye as in C. Dampieri. 
The Parrot’s Beak grows freely when planted in a border either 
to cover a pillar or to train on a rafter in the greenhouse. A 
certain amount of freedom can be allowed the young shoots by 
not tying in too closely. Any good loamy soil will suit it, 
and after flowering the young shoots can be shortened and fresh 
ones encouraged to form for blooming the following season. 
As a pot plant it succeeds admirably, and can be trained 
spirally around a framework of stakes. Red spider is its worst 
enemy, but can be kept down by frequent syringing. 
V END EUR. 
Mice and Peas. 
Below I give my plan of catching mice when they are so 
troublesome with early Peas. I take a few lOin. pots and 
plunge them to the rim in the ground by the row. Then plug 
the bottom of the pot with cork to make it hold about 1 }>i n. of 
water ; no more. Then I dot around the pot small bits of lard, 
and in that stick small pieces of cheese, say about 2in. from the 
top. The mice seem to over exert themselves in trying to reach 
the bait, and tumble in and are found quite safe in going round 
in the morning. W. G. 
Madryn Castle. 
The Carnation (Dianthus Caryophyllus). 
The Carnation is a great favourite in the garden, and has been 
ever since its introduction, so a few hints on its culture may 
interest the readers of The Gardening World. 
Plants grown from seed : The seed should be sown in pans or 
pots in the months of April or May, and placed in a slight hot¬ 
bed or greenhouse. When the seedlings appear and are tit for 
handling, prick out. into boxes filled to within an inch of the 
top, with good loam mixed with leaf mould and sand, and 
placed outside, where they can remain until September, at which 
time they can be planted out in their flowering quarters ; but 
in cold districts they should be planted in frames for the winter 
and planted out in March or April, weather permitting. 
To propagate them by layering, the best time is in the end 
of July or the beginning of August. Make an incision below 
a joint; cut upwards through the joint, and peg down into the 
soil. A good plan for getting them rooted is to cover the layers 
with ooeoanut fibre, leaving about 2in. of the point bare. In 
cold districts layering is done early, so that the plants may be 
well rooted before the winter sets in. A good plan is to winter 
them in frames, planting them out in March or April, weather 
permitting. A few good varieties are Persimmon, Endymion, 
Don Juan, Czarina, Cecilia, and Mrs. Eric Hambro. 
J. K. D. 
Sunk v. Elevated Rockeries. 
Experience teaches as nothing else can do, and he who has 
learned by experience may speak with authority. Therefore, 
when a friend who has for years been devoted to rock gardening 
told me he had become convinced by experience that greater 
success in the culture of alpine plants is obtained from an 
excavated or sunk rockery than from raised mounds and heaps, 
I lent a listening ear to his reasons for so speaking. 
Space will not permit of a detailed account of the conversation 
that passed between us, but suffice it to say that he has tried 
both methods, and can therefore judge for himself. My friend’s 
main argument was that by sinking instead of elevating a 
rockery we make a home for alpine plants that more closely 
resembles their native environment. The popular idea seems to 
be that because the plants inhabit mountainous districts we must 
plant them on little hillocks of our own formation. A little 
thought, however, should suffice to show that there is about as 
much similarity between the two as there is between the tropical 
home of an Orchid and the kitchen fireside. Careful as we may 
be in the formation of our rockery mounds, we cannot prevent 
